Former foreign secretary Sujatha Singh in an interview to NDTV says her reputation is being tarnished. "I want an honourable exit. I believe I therefore need to set the record straight. Honesty is more important to me than intellectual brilliance."

Sujatha Singh is the third senior official to have been dismissed since the National Democratic Alliance government came to power at the Centre.

The swiftness with which Sujatha Singh was dismissed from the post of foreign secretary, six months before the end of her term, has stunned the bureaucracy at Raisina Hill. The message from the Prime Minister's Office to bureaucrats is unambiguous -- shape up or ship out.

Singh who was summarily sacked Thursday is believed to have been removed because Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unhappy with her efforts to boost Indias global standing.
 
Singh, who was replaced late on Wednesday six months before her two-year tenure was to end, sent a farewell email to former colleagues in which she stressed the 'institutional strength of the ministry of external affairs (MEA) and the importance of institutions over individuals.